Zaraki no Apprentice
by Goddess of the Chibi Dragon
Summary: In this story...blah blah blah. Quite simply, Kenpachi, Yachiru, Ikkaku, and Yumichika come to the Leaf Village. They meet Naruto, and your basic chaos ensues. What happens when a jinchuuriki is raised by 2 violent guys, and 1 effeminate fanshionista?
1. Chapter 1

**Zaraki no Apprentice**

Disclaimer: I own nothing, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this, I'd be making it real. Duh.

Note: Characters will be about as old as they look. And if you can't figure out the main characters from the chapter 1 title, you're really stupid, or you just didn't read it.

**Chapter 1**

**Scars, Pink, Swords, Fights, Missing Hair, **

**Feathers, a Peacock, and a Demon**

(Wow, that's a long title)

It was an average, unremarkable evening in Fire Country, just outside the Hidden Leaf Village, when an odd group of travelers appeared from the forest surrounding the village. Leading them was a tall man in a black and gray haori and hakamas (think Bleach soul reaper uniforms, but gray instead of white, and no captains' overcoat or whatever the heck it's called). He was covered in scars and wearing an eye-patch over his right eye. Behind him were two young men, one was bald and was wearing the same thing as the apparent leader, and the other had feather-like growths around his right eye, seemed bit effeminate, and was wearing something similar to the other two, but his was indigo instead of gray. They were all carrying swords. The last member of this group was a little pink-haired girl, who looked about 5 or 6, wearing the same thing except for the pink where the others had gray or indigo, hanging off the tall man's shoulder. She was chattering excitedly.

'_Yup, definitely weird_,' thought the guards who were currently on duty.

By this point, the group had made it to the gates. They were about to walk through when they heard someone.

"HOLD IT," the person (whose name is totally unimportant you can insert a name if you want, though) shouted. The group stopped as a ninja dropped in front of them.

"Sorry, sirs," the little girl pouts, thinking the guy is ignoring her. Well, he is, but he really just wants to do what he needs to do, and get out of the man's presence as quickly as possible. He's actually about to crap his pants. "but I'm going to need your names and your reason for coming here."

The man chooses to speak up, so they can move on. "I'm Kenpachi Zaraki, this," he gestures at the little girl, "is Yachiru, she's my adopted daughter, and my students, apprentices, whatever, Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa. We're here to become citizens of the Hidden Leaf Village."

"Alright, sir, were you, or your students, ever shinobi?" the scared guard asks.

"No," was the blunt reply.

"Alright then, please follow me to Hokage Tower."

The man then proceeds to lead them through the village at a fast pace.

When they finally arrive at the Hokage Tower, the guard leads them up to the Hokage's office. Once they get permission to enter, the guard ushers them in. The group is surprised to find the Hokage is an old man.

"Good evening, sirs. I hope you like the village," says the guard. He then runs out like the devil himself was after him.

"Ah- hem," the elderly man clears his throat, "I'm sorry about that, but you do seem to be quite intimidating, at least to most people."

'_Ya think_,' was the thought running through Ikkaku and Yumichika's minds.

"Well, anyway, I suppose you should begin by telling me your reason for wanting to move to the Leaf."

"We heard the Leaf had strong fighters and wasn't uniformed and boring," was Kenpachi's reply.

"I…see," Sarutobi says, while sweat dropping, "I suppose that's a fair reason. So am I to assume you want to become ninjas?"

"Yup/Yes," was Ikkaku and Yumichika's eager reply.

"Alright then, do you have any idea what level you're on?"

"Hmmm… I suppose Yumichika would be high chunin, Ikkaku low jonin, and I guess I'd be high jonin."

"And your… daughter?" the Hokage asks, looking at the report the guard gave him.

"Yachiru don't fight, but I guess high genin." (And don't give me crap about this. She's spent most of her life around some of the most violent people in the world. She's going to be able to fight, and fight well)

Needless to say, the Hokage was shocked. It wasn't often such strong people came to join the village. "Okay, then, and your specialty would be kenjutsu, correct?"

"Yup, but we call it zanjutsu."

Ikkaku then said, "Our swords are different from the swords that other people use."

"How so?"

"Well, mine becomes four curved blades, and Ikkaku's turns into a naginata," Yumichika informs the man.

"I see. That is certainly different. I would imagine there was some sort of condition to activate its ability, yes?"

"We must call the spirit of the sword by saying a chant, which is very short, usually only one word, and calling out its name."

"Fascinating. You'll have to show me sometime. Anyway, it's getting late, so I'd suggest you say in a hotel tonight and we'll finalize everything tomorrow."

"Fine, we'll be back." And with that Kenpachi and co. leave the office and the Hokage Tower.

We next see the soon to be citizens of the Leaf wandering around, when they hear a scream. A scream of pain.

"Hey, Ken-chan, who do think that was?" (if you can't figure out who said that, then stop reading)

"Dunno, Yachiru."

"Should we go check it out?" wonders Ikkaku.

"I think we should, that sounded like a little kid," comments Yumichika.

And with that they head towards the sound, trying to find the source. What they find makes even Kenpachi and Ikkaku feel a little sick. A young blonde boy is being beaten by the villagers, ninja and civilian alike, with anything they could get their hands on.

"What truly ugly souls they must have to do this to that innocent little boy!" Yumichika exclaims in a quiet voice.

"Geez, Yumichika, I didn't know you swung that way," Ikkaku mutters.

"Stop thinking that way, Ikkaku, you know I didn't mean it that way, you have such a dirty mind," announces Yumichika.

"Would the two of you stop fightin' already, so we can stop these morons?" Kenpachi interrupts their fight.

"Sorry," was their reply. Kenpachi decides he's not gonna watch anymore and jumps down behind the boy. Ikkaku and Yumichika follow him, while Yachiru stays on the roof.

"Hello, sirs, I see you've come to help us kill the demon brat," announces a random villager, who goes by the name Felicia.

"What're you talkin' about; all I see is a bunch of idiots beating up a kid who can't fight back."

"Sir, I see you're new here, so allow me to explain-" Felicia's words are cut off when Kenpachi decides he's heard enough, draws his sword, and takes action. He then, along with Ikkaku and Yumichika, proceeds to cut down every member of the mob. The ANBU hiding nearby, who had just arrived, decide to sit and watch. What does happen surprises them. Kenpachi, Ikkaku, and Yumichika take down every villager in the rather large mob in under 2 minutes, while a little girl, sitting on a roof close-by, cheers them (Kenpachi) on. They leave to report to the Hokage.

Once all the villagers were unconscious (dead) or had run away (dead), Yachiru jumped off the roof and they crowded around the little boy. Upon closer examination, they saw the boy was still conscious and his wounds were healing rapidly. They, although they wouldn't admit it, were relieved.

"Hey there, are you okay?" shouts/asks Yachiru.

The little boy slowly gets up. "I'm fine, this happens all the time."

Yumichika gasps, "How horrible! No one should be able to say such a thing at your age!"

Yachiru giggles. "What's your name? I'm Yachiru!"

"Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki. So, you guys aren't gonna hurt me like everyone else does?"

"No. Why would we hurt you? And a better question, why were they hurting you?" Ikkaku asks.

"I don't know. Everybody calls me demon brat, and is mean to me, except for Old Man Hokage and the ANBU who follow me around. Itachi is nice to me, too; he doesn't hate me for doing nothing, like the villagers. And there's Teuchi-oji-san and Ayame-nee-chan at the ramen stand."

"Hmmm…Well, kid, why don't you come with us? We don't hate you."

"Really?" Naruto doesn't seem scared of Kenpachi. Which, when you think about it, makes sense. One, the guy just rescued him (by slaughtering a bunch of villagers, but I digress), two, he's been beaten and neglected all his life; Kenpachi's not gonna seem that scary to him.

He shrugs, "Sure, why not? By the way I'm Kenpachi, feather-boy over there is Yumichika, and the bald one is Ikkaku."

"Okay."

"Good then, let's go."

****************************************The next day, Hokage Tower****************************************

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was in deep thought. The ANBU told him what had happened the previous night. He was surprised, to say the least. He never would have thought someone like Kenpachi would step in to save someone he didn't know, even if it was a child. However, he was interrupted at this point by his secretary.

"Hokage-sama, Kenpachi-san is here with his group to see you. And they brought Naruto-kun with them." (I know most people make the Hokage's secretary one of the people who hate Naruto, but she, of all people, would have spent enough time around Naruto to know he wasn't the Kyuubi)(ps Naruto is 4 and Yachiru is 6)

"Send them in."

**************************************************2 minutes later**********************************************

"Well, I must say I'm impressed. There are not many who would help someone they didn't know, even if it was a child."

Kenpachi had a strange look on his face. "Anyone who would beat up a little kid is a coward. And I hate cowards." Yumichika and Ikkaku nod in agreement. Yachiru is busy asking Naruto random questions on the other side of the office.

"Yes, well… as sad as it is, there are very few who would have stepped in without orders; most people don't like Naruto. But, anyway, back to business. I will have to have you tested before you are placed in the Leaf's ninja forces, but I have already had you registered for citizenship. The only thing we need to decide is housing, and, if you want, a way to make money outside of your missions."

"Aright then, why don't you just point me in the direction of a real estate agent, and I'll take care of that?" Yumichika asked, rubbing his hands together.

At seeing the expression on his face, the Hokage is slightly freaked out. "Alright then, I'll have my secretary escort you."

He then proceeds to explain to his secretary wants he wants her to do, then sends her and Yumichika off. There are a few moments of silence before the conversation continues.

"A-hem. Well then, is there anything else you wanted to discuss?" questions Sarutobi.

"Yeah. What about Naruto here?" Kenpachi asks, pointing over his shoulder at the blonde.

"Well, I suppose he'll go back to the orphanage." Naruto has a sullen look on his face at this announcement.

Ikkaku raises his eyebrows. "The kid doesn't look like he wants to go back."

"He has to; he has nowhere else to go; that is, unless, you want to adopt him." Naruto now has a hopeful look on his face.

Kenpachi shrugs. "Yeah, sure, why not? Besides, there's no reason we shouldn't."

Naruto's face lights up in joy. Then he whoops for joy.

"Alright, Naruto, calm down," is heard while the Sandaime attempts to calm down the hyperactive blonde.

"I'm ba-ack!" announces Yumichika," and I got us the most darling house."

Everyone just kinda stared. Then Kenpachi announced, "Alright, let's go." He got up and walked towards the door.

"I will get all the adoption papers together for you. I'll have them ready in two days; which is when your evaluation will be. Meet me here around 10."

"Got it."

*********************************5 minutes later, en route to new house************************************

"So. You're adopting Naruto, I assume?" Yumichika asks slyly.

"Yup."

"Cool."

Then Yumichika starts gushing over Naruto. "This is going to be so fun! I'm going to be the best big brother ever! I'll make sure you're not hopeless in fashion! Won't it be _soooooo _much fun, Naru-chan? I can't wait!" Naruto currently looks like a deer stuck in the headlights.

"Yumichika."

"Yes?" Yumichika replies dreamily.

"I think you're freaking him out," states Ikkaku.

Yumichika sticks out his tongue and the two begin to argue.

"HEY! Stop arguing! You're getting on my nerves."

"Sorry."

"Yeah, sorry…Hey! Look, we're here!" announces Yumichika. Everyone turns to see what Yumichika is talking about. The house had 2 stories and a large yard surrounding it. As they walked around, they saw there was also a dojo and a pond with a stream running through the back yard. The property was covered in trees. Then they noticed where the house was located. It was on the edge of the section designated for the shinobi clans.

"Yumichika, how much does this place cost?" queries Kenpachi.

"Ummmm…Well, who wants to see the inside?" Yumichika attempts to change the subject.

Naruto and Yachiru exchange looks. "WE DO! WE DO! WE DO!" they shout at the top of their young and healthy lungs. In other words, loud enough to make Kenpachi forget what he wanted, if only temporarily.

"Alright then, let's go!"

The inside was huge. They really didn't think it would be that big. The living room was large and spacious. The kitchen was like ones that are found in palaces. They even had their own library, not that they would ever really use it. The dining room connected to an enormous ballroom. Why? Who knows? Who cares? Back to the story. And that was only the first floor.

The second floor was dominated by a large, rectangular space that led to all the bedrooms, which totaled 11. That might not seem that huge compared to the first floor, but each of the rooms was as big as 2 average classrooms and the master bedroom was twice that size. So…yeah. It was really big. Each room also had a bathroom connected to it.

Kenpachi, of course, got the master bedroom, while Yachiru took the one next to it on the right, with Naruto in the room next to hers. Ikkaku got the one next to Naruto, and Yumichika ended up next to Ikkaku.

After they had finished exploring the house, they all went out to eat and bought furniture and toys, then brought all that back to the house. Kenpachi and Ikkaku did all the work while Yumichika supervised and Naruto and Yachiru played in the back yard with their new toys. After that was done, they went out again, this time for food, cooking supplies, dishes, silverware, clothes, sheets, pillows, supplies of all sorts, and various hygiene products, which they then brought back. They all helped put it away, except for Yumichika, who was busy making dinner. They ate, then went to bed, exhausted.

And it's done! That took a while. Hope you liked it. Review. Flames will be ignored. I'm immune to flames. Got that? And a question. Who do you think should get a zanpaku-to? And which zanpaku-to should they get? If you want them to use a zanpaku-to you created, give me the name, appearance (of the spirit and the blade), and abilities of the zanpaku-to. If you want them to use one from the show, give me the name of the zanpaku-to and its wielder. No aranncar zanpaku-to. You cannot use Ikkaku or Yumichika's zanpaku-to. Do not give me suggestions for Kenpachi or Naruto's swords. If you don't follow these guidelines, your suggestion will be ignored.

**REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Zaraki no Apprentice**

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: All zanpaku-to have been decided. Thank you, all of you, for your input. A special thanks goes out to cmcwiki; thank you for all of your help. This chapter would have taken much longer to finish without your help.

**Chapter Two**

**Exams and Rude Awakenings**

**********************************************the next day****************************************************

The next day, nothing really happened. They all woke up and ate breakfast. Then Ikkaku and Kenpachi went out to train. Because they didn't have the patience for it, Yumichika began teaching Naruto and Yachiru kido and zanjutsu theory. They were told they weren't old enough to start physical training. At the end of the day they all ate dinner, then went about preparing for bed. The End.

*************************************************the next day, 6am*******************************************

It was a wonderful morning in the Clan District of the Leaf Village. Everyone was sleeping peacefully. However, it was not to last. The Clans were about to get a rude awakening. But they had no way to know what was about to happen. No way to prepare. If only they had sent someone to meet their new neighbors, they might have had a warning. They might have known how… eccentric their neighbors were. No warning, no preparation. This could not end well.

"MY HAIR! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BEAUTIFUL, PRECIOUS HAIR! AHHHHHHHHHH !"

… Yes, a rude awakening indeed. Every head in the Clan District snapped up. They were all thinking the same thing; _'What the He** was that?' _Little did they realize this was their new neighbor, and this would happen almost every morning. But they learned quickly, and took to wearing earplugs to bed. Of course, this was also good for invasions. How, you may ask? Well, Yumichika is so loud, he makes the ninja go deaf. And, therefore, become easy pickings for the Clans. They actually made a contest out of it. And Yumichika became known as the Leaf's Male Siren. Enemy ninja across the Elemental Nations learned to fear the auditory power of this non- Sound ninja. J Anyway, back to the story.

************************************same time, Kenpachi & Co.'s house***********************************

"YUMICHIKA!" resounded through the house, courtesy of Kenpachi and Ikkaku.

"WHAT!" Yumichika shrieks.

"SHUT UP! I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!"

"BUT MY HAIR-," whines Yumichika.

"I DON'T CARE! BE QUIET!"

"FINE!"

************************************************2 hours later**************************************************

"Good morning, everyone! Time to get up!" chirps Yumichika as he glides across the second floor, hair now in presentable condition.

Ikkaku and Kenpachi emerge from their rooms, grumbling. All that can be heard from the children's rooms was snoring. Yumichika walks into Naruto's room, intent on waking him up.

"Naruto…" More snoring. "Naruto."

He waits a few seconds. "Naruto!" No response.

"WAKE UP! YOU CAN'T SPEND ALL DAY SLEEPING! YOU NEED TO GET READY!"

"nnnnn…"

"WAKE UP ALREADY! ARE YOU DEAF!"

"SHUT UP, FEATHER-BOY!" is heard from next door.

"JUST WAKE UP ALREADY! HE'S GIVING ME A HEADACHE!" echoes up the steps from the kitchen.

"OKAY, KEN-CHAN!" the patter of footsteps is heard as Yachiru gets ready for the day ahead. "Wait for me!" shouts Naruto, rushing around Yumichika.

Yumichika walks downstairs, eye twitching. "Kenpachi, from now on, you're waking them up."

"Hnnn…"

****************************************************an hour later**********************************************

"Alright then, is everyone ready?" asks Yumichika, in a good mood once again.

"Yup!" chorus Naruto and Yachiru.

Kenpachi and Ikkaku just glare at Yumichika.

"What did I do?"

"YOU WOKE ME UP AT 6 WITH YOUR SHRIEKING!" they announce.

"Then wear earplugs."

"…"

*****************************************30 minutes later, Hokage's office**********************************

"Ah, good. You're here." The Hokage handed Kenpachi a stack of papers. "Here are Naruto's adoption papers. Fill them out and then we'll head to the stadium."

Kenpachi grumbled, but got to work on filling out the paperwork.

****************************************************25 minutes later******************************************

"And here we are," announced the Hokage, "We're going to do this the simple way; you'll each have a one on one match with one of our jonin. Then we'll decide your rank based on the skills you show in your match."

"Got it."

"Naruto, Yachiru, you'll have to come with me; you're too young, you'll have to go through the Ninja Academy."

"'Kay," they chorused sullenly. They followed the Hokage up to the stands, taking seats close to the menagerie of people wearing the hitai-ate that declared them as Leaf ninja.

The Hokage cleared his throat. "You all know why you're here. Let's begin. Yumichika Ayasegawa vs. Hayate Gekko. Please make your way to the stadium floor." As he spoke, Yumichika made his way down the steps and onto the field. Hayate jumped from the stands, landing on the opposite side of the field. Yumichika took this chance to examine his opponent.

Hayate Gekko was currently coughing, which made others think he was unfit for battle. He had pale skin, it had a slightly green tint to it. Hayate chose to wear the normal attire for jonin, with his hitai-ate worn as a bandanna on his head.

"How ugly! How can you stand to go out in public when you look like that?" questioned Yumichika.

"…"

"Remember, no killing or permanent injury. Participants ready?" questioned the Hokage loudly. Hayate took a ready stance; Yumichika simply continued looking disgusted by Hayate's appearance. The Hokage turned his head, looking at the participants. Seeing Hayate's ready stance, and the fact Yumichika had never even bothered to change his stance at all, he assumed they were ready.

"Very well then. HAJIME!"

Hayate rushed across the field towards Yumichika. Yumichika, seeing this, took off, drawing his sword as he went. Hayate noticed the sword in his opponent's hand, and drew his own while continuing his headlong rush across the field.

They met in the center of the field, swords clashing. The 2 swordfighters began an intricate dance of flashing metal; feints, parries, slashes, and stabs reflecting the sunlight. After several minutes, they jumped apart to regain their breath.

The Leaf ninja were shocked. Not many people could match Hayate in a swordfight; most of them were in ANBU. Naruto watched in awe.

"Impressive. Very few people can last that long against me. But it's time to end this," announced Hayate.

"I agree, but I fear that you will not be the victor." Yumichika seemed to be gathering his energy. "**Split and deviate, Ruri'iro Kujaku**." As he finished speaking, his sword turned into multiple, iridescent blue tentacles, which wrapped around Hayate's limbs and torso. The tentacles began to grow flowers.

"What the He** is this?" exclaimed Hayate.

"'This,' as you called it, is **Ruri'iro Kujaku**'s power," explained Yumichika, "It completely drains you of chakra, usually resulting in death. However, I can stop the process whenever I want."

"The way you talk, this isn't your power."

"While my zanpaku-to and I may be separate entities, **Ruri'iro Kujaku** cannot exist without me, as he is an extension of my soul."

"So it's a Kekkai Genkai?" questions Hayate, his head starting to droop.

"No, anyone can obtain a zanpaku-to with the proper training, but if you don't have the training, you'll probably die. I suppose it's like the Hijutsu many Clans have." After finishing his statement, Yumichika deactivated and sheathed his zanpaku-to. Hayate fell to the ground, drained of energy.

"Don't feel ashamed, no one can win against **Ruri'iro Kujaku**," announced Yumichika. Hayate started coughing again, this time much worse than before. Mednin rushed out and herded him into the infirmary, presumably to treat his cough.

"Well, that was weird." Yumichika made his way back to the stands, taking a seat beside Ikkaku.

"Next, Ikkaku Madarame vs. Chouza Akimichi," announced the Hokage.

Ikkaku and his opponent both used the steps to enter the field. Then proceed to size each other up.

"Why do you shave your hair off?" questioned Chouza.

"I don't shave my hair." A tick mark appeared over Ikkaku's eye.

"Then you're bald," stated Chouza.

"I'm not bald," Ikkaku announced bluntly. The tick mark got bigger. _'He's dead.'_ was the collective thought of Yumichika, Yachiru, and Kenpachi.

"How can you not have hair, not be bald, and don't shave it off? That makes no sense."

"Listen, fatso, I'm not bald. I don't shave my hair, either." Ikkaku was getting pissed. The tick mark got even bigger. _'He's dead.'_ was the collective thought of the Leaf ninja.

"What did you just call me, baldy?"

"Are you deaf? I called you 'fatso,' and for the last time, I'm not bald!"

"You're going to pay for that!" Chouza starts a headlong rush across the field, intent on turning Ikkaku into a pancake. But, up in the stands, there was currently a conversation going on, so no one was really paying attention.

A Leaf ninja turned to Kenpachi and Yumichika. "You're friend's as good as dead. Not even Lord Hokage will stand in the way of an enraged Akimichi. I hope the rest of you decide to stay."

There were a few moments of silence. Then, Yumichika spoke up. "Ikkaku won't die."

All the Leaf ninja stared at him in shock. "What are you talking about? There's no way he can survive. He called an Akimichi fat!" exclaimed Inoichi. "And not just any Akimichi. Chouza is the Clan Head. He's not a pushover."

"That may be, but the only person who ever got close to killing Ikkaku is Kenpachi," said Yumichika. "And that was years ago. Ikkaku's gotten stronger since then. Not to mention Ikkaku didn't have his zanpaku-to when he fought Kenpachi."

At this point in time, they all became aware of the happenings of the fight. Chouza's headlong charge made it sound as if a stampede had entered the stadium. They all turned back to the fight.

Ikkaku, seeing Chouza heading towards him at what was probably top speed, decided to actually start the battle. So, in true Eleventh division form (note: soul society does not exist in this fanfic, it's just a comparison), he released his zanpaku-to.

"**Extend, Hozukimaru**!" shouted Ikkaku. As he spoke, he unsheathed his zanpaku-to, then took the hilt and stuck that into the sheathe, and his zanpaku-to proceeded to change its form from sealed to shikai.

The Leaf ninja were shocked. Why were they shocked? Well, Ikkaku's shikai was not nearly as… unique as Yumichika's. No, it was only a naginata. There didn't seem to be anything special about it, except for the tuft of red fur on the end. They were honestly expecting something more impressive.

Ikkaku raised his naginata in front of him, a meager defense for the oncoming onslaught. The force of Chouza's charge flung Ikkaku backwards and into the wall. A large crater formed where Ikkaku hit, the rubble falling on top of him.

"That's what you get for calling me a fatso! I'm big-boned, not fat." And with that, Chouza began walking away, back towards the stands. He made it to within a few yards of the stands.

Then he heard the rubble shift, some falling to the ground. Ikkaku slowly stood up from the rubble. "Don't count me out yet," he rasped.

"Oh? And how do you plan on fighting me? Your weapon has been shattered. You won't stand a chance without it."

Ikkaku snorted. "It's easy enough to fix. All I have to do is reseal it. Or use bankai."

"Really?"

"Yep. But I'm not one for explaining things. So how 'bout I just show you?"

Chouza narrowed his eyes, glaring at Ikkaku.

"I'll take that as a yes. **BANKAI**!" shouted Ikkaku. A cloud of energy swirled around Ikkaku. Purple-black lightning flashed through the clouds, while dragons of red energy appeared from the swirl and crashed back down into it. When it cleared, the Leaf ninja were shocked. Ikkaku was holding what looked to be oddly shaped curved axes with tufts of red fur as hand guards of a sort. Weights were placed at the end of the bandage-wrapped handles. Thick chains connected the axes to a toothless saw blade with a dragon-shaped gauge on it. The end of the dragon's tail was glowing bright red, and the red was slowly, very, very, slowly, spreading up the design. Each blade was at least as long as Ikkaku was tall.

"**Ryuumon Hozukimaru**."

"What's this? It's quite large, but that doesn't make it any better than what you had before."

Ikkaku snorted once more. "That's debatable. But unfortunately, **Hozukimaru** is a lazy bum, and is still asleep. That's what the gauge is for. When it is completely red, then it's at full power." The red had reached the dragon's hind feet.

"Then I don't see how it's going to help you in any battle. What good will it do if it takes 10 minutes to start working?"

"I don't think you heard me correctly. I said it's not at full power yet, not that it hasn't started working."

Chouza said nothing more, opting instead to once again try to turn Ikkaku into a pancake. Ikkaku saw this and jumped, axes and all, over Chouza's head and to a little over the half-way point of the field. The red reached the middle of the dragon. Chouza stopped and turned around in yet another headlong charge to squish his opponent. This time, Ikkaku grabbed the handle on the saw like part of **Hozukimaru** and started spinning it in circles, causing the axes to fly in circles around Ikkaku. This, of course, is quite an effective shield, because no sane person wants to get close to axes that big when they're flying around like that. The red reached the dragon's front legs.

However, Chouza could not stop in time, and was slashed straight across his chest. _'Oh! That's gotta hurt!'_ was the thought running through everyone's minds. Then, gravity had apparently decided to take a vacation, because Chouza didn't fall nearly as fast as he should've, and got slashed across the chest once more. Chouza stumbled back a few stepped, dropped to one knee, and put a hand to his chest in a futile effort to stop the bleeding, breathing heavily. The wounds weren't really that deep, they were just long, and thicker than normal, criss-crossing his chest to form an 'x' shape.

He stayed in that position and watched as the red filled up the rest of the dragon. A slight explosion of power occurred when the gauge filled completely. Ikkaku grabbed the axe handles and swung one forward, bringing it to the side of Chouza's neck.

"Do you forfeit?" questioned Ikkaku, smirking.

"It would seem I have no choice," replied Chouza.

"WINNER! IKKAKU!" announced the Hokage.

Down on the field Ikkaku resealed his zanpaku-to, placing it back in the sheath and slinging it over his shoulder. Mednin once more rushed onto the field, helping Chouza up and into the infirmary. Ikkaku made his way back to the stands.

"Final match! Kenpachi Zaraki vs. Kakashi Hatake!" announced the Hokage.

Kenpachi chuckled. "Finally, my turn."

"I suspect they had you go last so that you had a chance to destroy the stadium without interfering with our matches," supplied Yumichika.

"Whatever."

Kenpachi walked onto the field, grinning like a maniac. Kakashi jumped onto the field. Both opponents were surprised to see the other wearing an eye patch, or, in Kakashi's case, covering his eye with his hitai-ate.

"Well, well. It looks like we're both hiding something," comments Kenpachi.

"Oh? And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I have 2 working eyes. And I doubt you'd be a ninja if you were missing an eye."

"A good observation," announced Kakashi. "So what do you say? Let's go all out from the start."

"You sure?" Kakashi nods.

"Alright then." Kenpachi's grin gets bigger. He rips off his eye patch, which is instantaneously followed by an explosion of chakra.

"HOLY SH**!" echoed through the stands. No one was sure how he had hidden that with an eye patch.

"You're probably wondering how he hid all that power with an eye patch," said Yumichika. All the Leaf ninja whipped their heads around so fast, they got whiplash. Ikkaku took over. "It isn't a normal eye patch. It was made to eat his excess chakra."

"Why would he do that? And who made it?"

"Ken-chan got it from the freaky penguin dude. He wanted to do a lot of painful tests on me." She said all this without taking her eyes off Kenpachi's fight.

"Why?"

It was Yumichika who answered. "He wanted to find out why she has pink hair."

"This guy sounds messes up."

"He is." Ikkaku looked disgusted.

"Definitely," agreed Yumichika.

As they were speaking, Kakashi had raised his hitai-ate off his eye, revealing the scar and his Sharingan. The 3 tomoe spinning wildly as he observed his opponent, waiting for his first attack.

"Hehehe, alright then. Let's do this." Kenpachi unsheathed his zanpaku-to. "**Shred, Meitsukimaru!**" Kenpachi's ragged-edged sword widened as the edge smoothed out. Crescent moon shaped blades appeared all over the sword, the points sticking out. It was one of the oddest weapons the Leaf ninja had ever seen.

"Well… I can't say I've ever seen a weapon like that. What did you call it? A meitsukimaru?"

"No, this is my zanpaku-to. Her name is **Meitsukimaru**."

"It's a girl."

"Yup."

"Why did you make it a girl?" questioned Kakashi.

"I didn't. I don't know why my zanpaku-to is a girl. She just is."

"So a zanpaku-to's gender isn't based on the gender of the wielder."

"Exactly. It's just more common for a zanpaku-to to have the same gender."

"I see."

"No more talking. Time for battle!" announced Kenpachi.

And with that, Kenpachi rushed forward, brandishing his sword. He slashed at Kakashi, who dodged, correctly assuming it would be quite painful, and deciding he didn't want to experience it for himself. Kakashi retaliated by using **Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu**.

It never reached its target. Kenpachi flared his energy, therefore protecting himself from the fire. Kenpachi once again rushed toward Kakashi, but this time, Kakashi was still in shock by Kenpachi flaring his chakra to block his attack, and didn't dodge in time. **Meitsukimaru** came down on his arm, tearing Kakashi's flesh into ribbons. Kakashi's eyes widened in pain as he jumped back to dodge Kenpachi's follow up strike.

After several minutes of Kenpachi attacking while Kakashi dodged, Kenpachi decided to up the playing field. "**BANKAI**!"

The Leaf ninja leaned forward in their seats, curious as to what Kenpachi's bankai would look like. After all, they wanted to compare it to Ikkaku's. What they saw was not what they were expecting.

Kenpachi's zanpaku-to glowed bright white, taking the form of a claymore, and the points on the crescents grew out into spikes. It was a very dangerous looking weapon.

"Odd. I was under the impression that bankai turned it into a different weapon completely," commented Kakashi.

"Some do, some don't."

And with that, the process continued on. Kenpachi attacked, Kakashi dodged. Kenpachi attacked again, Kakashi got out of the way. Once again, this lasted for several minutes. Kenpachi was starting to get annoyed. So, he decided to use a move he only used when his opponent refused to fight him head on.

Materialization.

AN: Sorry, I was going to finish Kenpachi's fight, but I've kept you guys waiting long enough. That, and it seemed a good place to stop. And just incase you didn't read the note at the top, ALL ZANPAKU-TO HAVE BEEN DECIDED. Please don't leave any more suggestions. And a hint for upcoming chapters, courtesy of cmcwiki: Anti-fangirl Syndrome: the interest of a fanclub is interested in a girl outside the fanclub, who has no interest in him. And Yachiru gets a named zanpaku-to!

**REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Zaraki no Apprentice**

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except my original zanpaku-to. Get over it.

**Chapter 3**

**Induction and Reunion**

Materialization.

When was the last time he used it? He couldn't remember. All he knew was that if **Meitsukimaru** refused to help him, as she sometimes did after long periods of being ignored, he was screwed. Kakashi kept dodging all his attacks, and sooner than later he would run out of energy.

So, to ensure he wouldn't look stupid trying to materialize **Meitsukimaru** when she didn't want to help him, he entered his mindscape. Hopefully she wouldn't brush him off or make him do some stupid challenge. Again.

*****************************************Kenpachi's mindscape*********************************************

Kenpachi's mindscape would surprise most people. You see, it was not some bloodied field, or alley covered in dead bodies. No, it was a library. A very fancy, very large library.

Now then, you may be wondering why Kenpachi's mindscape was a library. Well, it's actually really simple. **Meitsukimaru**, back when Kenpachi didn't even acknowledge her existence, decided she didn't want to live in an alleyway surrounded by corpses. She had no problem with dead bodies in general, but she didn't really want to spend her existence surrounded by them. So, she turned Kenpachi's mindscape into a library, and was content to sit there reading until her wielder died.

Then, Kenpachi decided he needed to obtain shikai. So, she gave him a shikai, and, a while later, a bankai. But she only gave him access to part of her power. It was a punishment of sorts, for ignoring her so long. Now, whenever Kenpachi wanted to use her full abilities, he had to use materialization. It annoyed him, but he said nothing, knowing he got lucky with this condition.

And as Kenpachi entered his mindscape, which had been commandeered by his zanpaku-to, he found her lounging on a couch, reading a book, as usual.

She glanced up from her book when he walked up, before going back to reading. The sound of a page turning seeming quite loud in his quiet mind. "What do you want?" questioned **Meitsukimaru** in a lyrical voice.

Kenpachi didn't answer, instead standing there, shifting uncomfortably. Oh yes, there was one more reason **Meitsukimaru** chose to make his mindscape a library. Kenpachi got nervous in libraries. She didn't know why, and she didn't care either. She just used it to her advantage.

**Meitsukimaru** was not a patient person. "Wait, let me guess. You want to use materialization, don't you?"

A nod was Kenpachi's only response.

She huffed. "Fine, I'll help," her tone was clipped and dry. "It's not like I have anything better to do," she mumbled to herself.

"Now shoo!"

Kenpachi left as quickly as possible.

Back in the outside world, scant seconds had passed, so no one other than Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Yachiru realized what just happened.

Yachiru started clapping. Everyone turned when she said, "Ken-chan's gonna summon the pretty lady!" with a big smile on her face.

They turned to Ikkaku and Yumichika. "What does she mean by that?" they questioned.

"He's going to summon **Meitsukimaru**," announced Ikkaku.

"What? Isn't that what your swords are?"

"No. Our 'swords' are the manifestation of the spirit's power. The actual being lives in our mindscape," elaborated Yumichika.

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

"Wait, why would he summon his zanpaku-to if he already has access to her powers?" queried the Hokage.

"He doesn't," was Ikkaku's blunt reply.

Yumichika elaborated. "**Meitsukimaru** isn't much different from the average woman, at least mood-wise. Kenpachi obtained his shikai after we did, which is saying a lot."

Ikkaku snickered. "She withholds her power, so he can't use it. He has to summon her to have access to her abilities, and he can only summon her when she feels like helping him."

Back on the field, Kenpachi had once more raised his sword, but had not moved any closer to his opponent. A whirlwind encased the blade, power sparking through it. The wind grew larger, taking on a circular shape, but never moved from the sword. It became to grow, this time in height, until it stood over five and a half feet off the blade. Then, the wind dispersed, revealing **Meitsukimaru** balancing on the blade between the spikes protruding from its surface.

She was not what they were expecting.

**Meitsukimaru** was not the warrior-type they thought she was. She stood at 5' 4'' with a lean build, her hair, a brown/red color, up in a ponytail, with bangs framing her face. She was not tan, but she wasn't pale either. Her eyes were a strange silver color, and had slit pupils. A sleeveless blue battle kimono with silver edges, a black belt, leggings, and slippers were her choice of attire.

Apparently noticing the people staring at her, she decided to introduce herself. "Hello all. I am **Kuroya Meitsukimaru**."

All the Leaf ninja were gaping. This was Kenpachi's sword! She didn't look like much. The only thing special about her was her eyes.

In the background, one could hear Ikkaku and Yumichika snickering at the ninja's reactions, while Yachiru clapped gleefully.

"Well… this is new. Why did you… uh… summon your zanpaku-to?"

A trilling laugh was his reply. "He can't use my full power, so he has to summon me in order to have access to them."

"Really?"

**Meitsukimaru **nodded. Then she jumped off the blade, landing a few feet away from Kenpachi. She placed her hands together, her right in a fist, her left flat against it. A glow encased them, and she pulled them apart.

A sword appeared in hand. Its hand guard was shaped like the triple-goddess symbol. The blade was about two and a half feet long, and curved to look like a crescent, or half a heart.

The spectators (and Kakashi) weren't expecting her to summon a sword, much less one that looked nothing like Kenpachi's.

Kakashi blinked. "So… is that your sword?"

She sighed. "This is what Kenpachi's zanpaku-to is supposed to look like. That," she said, pointing. "is what happens when a zanpaku-to decides to withhold their power for whatever reason. In this case, I simply withheld all non-physical abilities."

"I see. So, what are you really capable of?"

**Meitsukimaru** smirked, and Kakashi suddenly found himself wishing he hadn't asked.

A purple-black circle appeared beside her, and, as they watched, she stepped through it and disappeared.

Kakashi scanned the area, looking for any sign of where she might have gone. Kenpachi appeared unconcerned. Those in the stands, who had a clear view of the field, saw a duplicate of the portal appear behind Kakashi. **Meitsukimaru **stepped out from the portal.

Kakashi's battle-honed senses picked up something behind him. He whirled to face… **Meitsukimaru**. _'How the He** did she get behind me?'_ Then he noticed the shrinking portal behind her. But he didn't have any more time to think as she thrust her blade at him. He stepped back, leaving her range of attack. Or so he thought.

Another portal appeared in front of her, this one much smaller. Her blade entered the portal, and, much to his shock, he found about twenty identical blades placed strategically at various points on his person. He looked around, shocked by the multiple portals surrounding him.

"What the He** is this!" exclaimed Kakashi.

"This is **Meimon**. My special ability. I can create portals so long as they are within my range of sight. I also have enhanced eyesight, to make my range bigger."

A snort sounded from behind him. "Do you forfeit?" questioned Kenpachi.

"… Yes," was Kakashi's resigned reply.

"WINNER! KENPACHI!"

She nodded and retracted her blade from the portal. Then, she turned to Kenpachi.

"See ya!" **Meitsukimaru** disappeared in a blast of wind. Kenpachi and Kakashi walked back to the stands.

When Kenpachi reached the Hokage, he turned and said, "I'll give you your ranks tomorrow. You can come by after lunch."

Turning to the assembled jonin, he raised his voice. "All of you are to report to the meeting hall in 2 hours. Even you, Kakashi! If you're late, I will allow the kunoichi to destroy your books!"

Kakashi started sweating. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"And if he's feeling better, I want someone to retrieve Hayate for the meeting. Dismissed!" he announced. The ninja dispersed.

"I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, the Hokage walked off, unseen entourage of ANBU in tow.

Yumichika stood up. "Well, I guess we should get going, too."

Ikkaku and Kenpachi nodded. They made their way out of the stadium and were walking through the entrance, when, at that precise moment, Naruto's stomach decided to let everyone know just how hungry it was.

With a growl that almost shook the ground beneath their feet.

Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly.

"… And it looks like the first thing we're doing is getting some lunch."

Everyone agreed, so they made their way home, ate lunch, and did some training/ teaching/studying. Then ate dinner and went to bed.

*************************************************the next day*************************************************

At six there was a repeat of the day before, as the Leaf's Male Siren made his second appearance. They followed the same routine of yelling, and this time Kenpachi woke up Naruto and Yachiru. They all ate breakfast, did some training/teaching/studying, then ate lunch. After they were finished, they made their way to Hokage Tower.

************************************30 minutes later, Hokage's office***************************************

When they arrived, they saw many of the jonin from yesterday. Most notably Hayate, Chouza, and Kakashi. Then there was a boy, no older than ten, there as well. They were wondering who he was when the window opened, and a girl who couldn't be older than the aforementioned boy entered.

She was wearing an Omnitsukido uniform (Soifon's outfit when she fights Yoruichi), but instead of hakama pants she wore a two-piece skirt with leggings underneath. A Hunternin mask, with curling aqua lines covering almost half of the white surface, was hanging at her waist. If one was to look, she had a short-sword placed into the back of her sash, the hilt angled toward her right hand. Her dark brown hair was held back in a tight bun, with the rest cascading down to the middle of her back.

Her dark brown eyes scanned the room, probably a habit gained from her dangerous occupation.

It was at this point Yachiru decided to speak up.

"Chi-chan!" she exclaimed, jumping onto the girl's back, causing the girl to careen forward and fall to the ground.

"Ow. Yachiru, please get up," requested the newly named 'Chi-chan.'

Yachiru jumped off her back, allowing her to get up.

The Hokage, Kenpachi, Yumichika, and Ikkaku were sweat dropping.

"Chiaki, how do you know Yachiru?" questioned the Hokage.

"Kenpachi's my uncle."

"He is?" was the shocked questioned posed by all the Leaf jonin except Itachi. He was doing his stoic and silent routine. And staring at Chiaki.

"Yep."

"How can you be related to him?"

"My mom's his sister."

"You're kidding."

"Nope."

"Are you sure he's not related to your dad?"

"Yup."

Kenpachi snorted. "Kazuma was the only guy who wasn't scared crapless of me."

"Besides, where did you think Yachiru got her name?"

"She was named after your mom?"

"Yes."

"So… wait. Who are your parents?" questioned Hayate.

"Kazuma and Yachiru Kuroda."

The Leaf ninja had 'oh' looks on their faces.

"Alright then. Back on topic." All eyes turned to the Hokage.

"After assessing your performance yesterday, we have concluded that the three of you will be inducted into the Leaf's ninja forces as jonin. Congratulations."

The three of them walked forward and retrieved their hitai-ate and vests. They placed their hitai-ate around their arms, but did not put on their vests.

"You're dismissed. Chiaki, Kenpachi, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Naruto, and Yachiru stay here, please."

The jonin present filed out of room, Itachi staying until the rest had left. He was staring in the not-so general direction of Chiaki. She glared at him until the door closed behind him.

"I'm not even going to ask," proclaimed Yumichika.

Chiaki quirked an eyebrow. "But you still want to know," she stated.

He nodded excitedly.

"Too bad. I'm not telling you. And it's none of your business." Yumichika looked crestfallen.

Ikkaku turned to Chiaki. "So. How…?"

"After my mom died I came here, breezed through the Academy, passed the Chunin Exams on my first try, then passed the jonin exams, and was inducted into the Hunternin program. That happened within a year of my arrival."

"How…?"

"Her zanpaku-to gave her an advantage. Of course, no one was aware zanpaku-to existed until you came."

"And now, I'm such a great Hunternin, they only send me after ninja A- or S-ranked. Unless I'm really bored, then they give me whatever poor sap was unlucky enough to desert the Village when I got the mission."

"Then what do you do when you're not hunting?" questioned Yumichika.

"I help out my friend at her dad's ramen shop."

They all just looked at her.

"What? It's better than sitting around doing nothing. And I get paid."

"Okay then. Who was that kid?" wondered Yumichika.

"That was Itachi Uchiha. And it might just my imagination, but he seems to have taken a liking to you," announced Hiruzen.

"He has."

He nodded sagely. "Fugaku will be furious when he finds out."

"Why would his father get mad?" asked Chiaki.

"He'll think of it as Itachi rebelling. That and it'll 'weaken the Clan,' according to his point of view."

"Well, I personally think they're all wacko," declared Chiaki, "who else would agree to marry their cousin?"

"Okay, that's just gross."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Inside their minds, **Meitsukimaru**, **Hozukimaru**, **Ruri'iro Kujaku**, and **Kage no Konoha** were also nodding in agreement. (a little hint there)

"Anyway, back to the reason I asked you to stay," said Hiruzen, "I assume that since Kenpachi is your uncle, you will be staying with him, correct?"

"Uh… yeah. Is that all?"

"No, I just wanted to make sure. And I have to update your file to say you have a living relative. Also, why didn't you mention it?"

"Well, let's see… I was six, my parents had just died, and I can't say I trusted you completely at the time… actually, I can't say I really trusted anyone. After that, I was kinda busy with missions and whatnot."

"Understandable. Alright then, you can go. Chiaki can tell you about procedures and such. I'll have Yachiru enrolled in the Ninja Academy; the new year starts two weeks from now."

They left and helped Chiaki move in. Itachi appeared in the middle of the move and offered to help, but Chiaki told him off. Itachi left to take his frustrations out on the Clan's unsuspecting training grounds.

Everyone thought he was going crazy. And, as he trained through the night, no one in the Uchiha Clan got any sleep. They were very annoyed. But none of them said anything, fearing the Uchiha prodigy's wrath.

Author's Note: Tell me what you think. And from here on out, I shall give you hints for future chapters, unless I can't think of one.

**Hints of the Chapter**:

1) it's in the chapter; look for it.

2)the Hokage's prediction will come true

**REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

Zaraki no Apprentice

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except my OC and original zanpaku-to.**

**READ: **For those of you who couldn't figure it out, this fanfic starts 8 years before the start of the canon, therefore making Itachi 10. Chiaki is currently 9, Ayame is 10. I don't know how old she really is, so I'm making her 10. Gai's students are currently 5, and the Rookie Nine are 4. Yachiru is 6. 

**Chapter 4**

**Growing Up Part I**

After Yachiru and Naruto had gone to sleep, the older residents of the house had a discussion.

They decided (I'm too lazy to write out their discussion, sorry) that Chiaki would train Yachiru because she was old enough to begin physical training. Yumichika would continue teaching Naruto until he was 6. It was also decided that Ikkaku and Kenpachi would not train them because they were too violent.

Chiaki went to bed after the discussion, because she said she was going to need all the energy she could get to deal with Yachiru. Yumichika declared he needed his beauty sleep, and went to bed as well. Kenpachi left because 'dealing with **Meitsukimaru** was tiring.' It was a stupid excuse.

Ikkaku decided to help the poor sap who had fallen for the girl he considered his younger sister. She was vicious, and he wouldn't stand a chance unless he, at the very least, obtained a shikai. Even then she'd give him He**.

He snickered. This would be fun.

**************************************************the next day************************************************

Ikkaku woke up after yet another appearance from the Leaf's Male Siren. He left and headed for the Uchiha compound.

************************************************5 minutes later***********************************************

At the gates Ikkaku was intercepted by Clansmen on guard duty.

"What business do you have with the Uchiha?" questioned a guard suspiciously.

"I wanted to talk to Itachi."

"What business do you have with him?"

"My business with him is none of yours."

The guards stepped forward as if to attack.

"Wait."

Ikkaku looked past the guards to the middle aged man walking towards the compound gates. When the man reached them, he spoke quickly and quietly to the guards.

He looked at Ikkaku. "If you train a Uchiha in the use of zanpaku-to, then you will be allowed on Uchiha grounds at any time. Do we have a deal?"

"Sure. I was planning on doing that anyway."

He nodded. Then he whirled around and left. The guards moved to the side with twin scowls.

"Go to the training grounds. It shouldn't be too hard to find."

Ikkaku nodded and walked past him, finding the training ground easily.

Itachi sensed someone walking into the training grounds, so he only did what was natural. He attacked the intruder, only to find it was the bald guy who fought Chouza the other day. He backed away.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. You were training. I would have done the same thing," replied Ikkaku.

"Why are you here?"

"Well. You're about as nice as the guards. You'll never have a chance with Chiaki if you keep acting like that."

"What are you talking about?" Itachi asked, **Sharingan** spinning.

"Come on. Stop faking. You've fallen for Chiaki. Hard."

Itachi turned away. "So?"

"I'd like to help you out, because, as it stands, you don't have a chance."

"How would you know?"

"I know Chiaki."

"…"

Then, turning back to Ikkaku, "How could you help me?"

"Zanjutsu."

"What?"

"It's what we call kenjutsu, because we use zanpaku-to instead of swords."

"How will that help me with Chiaki?"

"It'll prove you don't rely on your Kekkai Genkai. You can't copy it, because all zanpaku-to are different."

"…"

"But even then, you'll need at least shikai. Bankai is always better, but hey, some zanpaku-to don't even have a bankai.

"So, anyway, how 'bout it? Wanna learn?"

Itachi nodded.

Ikkaku grinned.

And with that, Ikkaku began giving zanjutsu lessons to Itachi, the Uchiha Prodigy.

Itachi came over often for training. His younger brother, Sasuke usually came with him. He and Naruto quickly became friends.

Chiaki had somehow managed to avoid Itachi whenever he came over and train the overly energetic Yachiru at the same time. Yachiru had ended being held back a year in the academy because was too energetic to pay attention and learn anything.

Neji thought she was annoying. Ten-Ten thought she was strange, but fun. Lee thought she was extremely enthusiastic.

Sasuke starting training with Naruto when they entered the academy when they were six. Their classmates (the Rookie Nine and Team Gai) absorbed their converted chakra (I will refer to this as soul chakra). The soul chakra enabled them to summon zanpaku-to without the normal training (not that they know that). As it turned out, Hinata already had soul chakra. Anywho…

It was around this time Fugaku began to notice how much time Itachi was spending away from the compound when not on missions. When asked, Itachi told him he went to Chiaki's house to train with Ikkaku or he went to drop off Sasuke for his training there. He only referred to the Zaraki household as Chiaki's house. That could only mean one thing.

"Itachi. I've noticed you've been spending a lot of time at the Zaraki's. Why?"

"Training."

"And you can't train here?"

"I train with my zanpaku-to while I'm there. It is not so easily practiced here."

Fugaku nodded in agreement. "The few times you've trained here, we've needed to replace the training ground you used. And this only happens after you spend time at the Zaraki's."

"And?"

"There must be something that happens to make you so angry. What is it?"

"I feel it would not be in anyone's best interest for me to answer that," Itachi replied, shifting uncomfortably.

"Answer the question."

His eyes flickered toward his father for a moment. "Chiaki avoids me, tells me off, or turns me down."

"So all the ruined training grounds are because of a single girl, who isn't even a Uchiha?" Fugaku kept a neutral expression.

"Yes."

"Why do you even bother? There are plenty of others who would love to go out with you. In fact, you could get any single woman in the Clan to be your wife."

"Chiaki is nothing like them."

"How so? No, wait, I don't care. You will not marry outside the Clan. It would taint the Uchiha blood."

Itachi turned a glare on his father. "You have no say in this. It is none of your business."

At this point, the current subject of the conversation showed up.

"Itachi!"

Fugaku and Itachi turned to her where she stood on the roof of a nearby building.

"Hokage-sama wants to see us."

"Why?"

Chiaki shrugged before leaving in the direction of Hokage Tower.

As it turned out, the Hokage wanted them to hunt down a group of former ANBU who had recently left the Village. They were to leave immediately. And so they did, returning several days later with the traitors' heads.

Fugaku was furious when Itachi returned to the compound.

"Where have you been?"

"Mission."

"What mission?"

"Hunting ex-ANBU. Chiaki helped."

"What?"

"The Hokage gave us the mission. That's why he wanted to see us."

Fugaku narrowed his eyes. He was obviously not happy.

That afternoon, Fugaku started obsessing over the issue of Itachi being in love with someone outside the Clan. He skipped dinner, just to keep obsessing over it. He obsessed about it well into the night. Sometime around midnight, he snapped.

He ran around the compound killing everyone he saw. He laughed maniacally all the while.

After some time, everyone was dead. That is, everyone except his family. So, (still) laughing maniacally, he went home to kill them.

He found one of them in the living room. He attacked Mikoto, who happened to be the one present. She screamed and twisted just enough that she was struck with the flat of the sword he was holding instead of the edge. She fell to the ground, unconscious. Sasuke and Itachi came running.

When they got there, a few things happened. Sasuke saw the crazed look on Fugaku's face and became rooted to the spot, unable to move. Itachi took up a position in front of him. He closed his eyes to collect himself and activate his **Sharingan**. However, when he opened his eyes, he found himself standing on a huge tree branch. Everything was cloaked in darkness.

"So, you've finally decided to listen to me, have you?" inquired a deep voice that seemed to come from everywhere.

"Who's there?" In response, a giant bat alighted on the branch above him, hanging so he was face to face with Itachi.

"Who are you?" he questioned in a whisper.

"My name is -," the bat somehow looked at him expectantly.

Itachi showed no reaction.

The bat sighed. "I was hoping you'd finally be able to hear my name. I guess that was too much to ask for."

"What? Your name?" Itachi seemed quite confused. Then recognition flashed over his features. "You're my zanpaku-to!"

He nodded.

"I will try once more. My name is -," Itachi furrowed his brow in concentration, but failed to hear anything.

"It looks like we'll have to do this the hard way," the bat flew away, his voice echoing back to Itachi, "You have until dawn to find your power."

"What does that mean?" Itachi muttered. Then he decided to go over what Ikkaku said to him during his training.

His eyes widened as he remembered what Yumichika told him after he had obtained his zanpaku-to. '_That's it!_'

Itachi closed his eyes in concentration. When he opened them again, there were ribbons surrounding him, most white (think of Zangetsu's test for Ichigo). He scanned them thoroughly and reached out, his hand closing over a ribbon crimson red in color.

He followed the ribbon's path at a sprint, racing the descending moon. Just as it seemed he would fail, the ribbon led him to a hollow in a tree. He reached in, grasping what felt like a sword's hilt. He pulled it out.

Itachi couldn't say he expected it not to have a blade. Yes, you heard right. It was a hilt with black wrappings. There was no cross guard. There was no blade. Just a simple, black wrapped hilt. He blinked in confusion.

Then, without warning, the giant bat from before appeared.

"Congratulations. You have succeeded. Now go. Protect you family. I will help. I am…"

****************************************************real world*************************************************

Itachi opened his eyes. "Darken, **Kagekuro**!"

The blade turned pitch black as the cross guard disappeared. Itachi swung it at his father, the blade extending like a whip and wrapping around Fugaku, rendering him motionless. A cloud of leaves drifted through the open window. They paused in midair before rushing forward, heading straight for Fugaku.

It became apparent they were not normal leaves when they speared straight through his heart, killing him. The leaves, now coated with blood, formed themselves into a vaguely human shape. The top layer pealed off to reveal Chiaki with her zanpaku-to in hand.

She turned to Itachi while sheathing her zanpaku-to. "Congrats on earning shikai. And you might want to get your mom to the hospital." She glanced behind him. "And it would appear your brother's in shock. I'll report to the Hokage."

Itachi nodded and picked Mikoto up. He left with Sasuke trailing behind him, still too dazed to think straight.

Chiaki followed them out, then took to the roofs, heading for Hokage Tower.

Author's Note: Please read the notes at the top. As of the end of this chapter, 2 years have passed since Kenpachi and co. found Naruto. Let's see… A special thanks goes out to cmcwiki for his ongoing help. Please check out my other stories and tell me what you think. Review! If you don't review, then I have no incentive to continue. And now…

**Hints of the Chapter:**

1)there is a reason I told you Hinata already had soul chakra

2)Lee's inability to use chakra will make a difference


End file.
